Evie
by nicky-hb
Summary: Ianto is left in charge of his young niece. Rated T for occasional bad language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

(Disclaimer: Torchwood does not belong to me. Nor does Squiglet.)

Ianto was busy sorting out his washing when the front door bell rang. He looked up from the washing basket, momentarily annoyed. He was halfway through unloading the drier and he didn't like being interrupted when he was in the middle of something, no matter how small the task. But he supposed whoever was at the door wasn't psychic. It was hardly their fault. He got to his feet and went to answer the door.

He undid the latch and pulled the door open. He was slightly surprised when confronted by his sister. Although to be fair he'd have been surprised whoever it was. He rarely got visitors. "Bron." He said at last. "I've not seen you since Christmas."

"I know," Said Bronwyn Jones. She brushed her fringe out of her eyes. Ianto noticed it was considerably shorter than the last time he'd seen her and also considerably blonder. "It has been a while, hasn't it little brother?"

Ianto nodded. "A little while." He pulled the door open wider. "Are you coming in? I'll put the kettle on."

"Actually…" said Bronwyn, stretching the word out. "I need a favour."

"Ah, right…" Ianto sighed, disappointed but not surprised. It wasn't like Bronwyn to turn up without warning unless she could help it. She always phoned in advance. In that respect they were both quite alike.

"I need someone to watch Evie for me."

It was only then that Ianto noticed the small figure hiding behind his sister's legs. His niece Evie was three years old and quite small for her age. And utterly adorable Ianto had to admit, with her big blue eyes and mop of dark hair. He smiled at her and she smiled shyly back. "Hey Angel. Didn't see you there." He turned back to Bronwyn. "How long for?"

"The weekend."

Ianto opened his mouth to protest. Watch Evie? For the whole weekend? He had plans. Okay they mostly involved sitting in the house and watching the telly but he hadn't had the chance to do that for months. Working for Torchwood was a very time consuming job and it wasn't very often he got a whole weekend off. But before he could say a word Bronwyn cut in.

"Oh please Yan." She said, sounding desperate. "I'm going into London to visit Kerry-Ann. You know Kerry-Ann? Tall, skinny, red-hair? I used to go to college with her. She moved to London two years ago. I've not seen her properly since. And I've had this planned for ages. I was going to take Eves with me but she woke up this morning at half-five and climbed in with me. That's early for her. She's not usually up til half six and even then she stays in her own bed. I knew then she wasn't quite right. But I got her dressed and gave her some breakfast anyway but half an hour later she brought it up all over the living room. And I took her temperature and it's a little high. Nothing major, not 40 or anything just 38 and a bit. But I can't take her to a stranger's for the weekend if she's not well."

Ianto listened to all this slightly bemused. His sister could talk for Wales but this was a bit much even for her. "Well can't you postpone? Go next weekend."

"No!" Was Bronwyn's reply. "I can't. She's away to Germany next week, with her work."

"Well can't you get someone else to watch Evie?" Ianto asked.

"I've tried Penny and Joanne but Penny's going to visit her mum in Swansea and Joanne's having a party for her brother. It's his birthday. And you know I wouldn't trust anyone else. Please Ianto? For me?" Bronwyn switched on the puppy dog eyes and Ianto deflated. She so rarely asked him for anything and he hadn't spent any time with Evie in ages.

"Okay." He said. "Bring her in."

"Yan you are a life saver." She said, herding Evie over the threshold and throwing her arms round Ianto's neck. "Thank you. I mean it. You really are." She pulled his head down and kissed his forehead. "There's a bag for her in the car. I'll get it." She reversed out the door and back down the stairs.

Ianto turned to Evie. She was standing with her back to the wall and her thumb in her mouth. A scrap of blue silk was in her free hand and she was staring up at him a quizzical look in her eyes. She pulled the thumb with her mouth with a small pop. "Mummy's going away." She said in a small voice. "Why?"

"She getting your bag from the car." Said Ianto as he knelt down to undo the buttons on her coat. "She's coming back."

Evie gave him a despairing look. "I know that. She's going away after as well. For longer."

Ianto smiled to himself. Last time he'd seen Evie she'd only just learnt to put a sentence together. Now here she was talking to him as if he was the three year old. "Sorry." He said. Evie pulled her arms out her coat and Ianto stood up. "She's going to London to see her friend. I'm going to look after you for a couple of days."

The sound of feet clattering up the stairs pulled Ianto's attention back to the door. Bronwyn rounded the corner, navy changing bag over her shoulder. "Right." She said as he came through the door. "There are a couple of changes of clothes in here. Some pyjamas. There are pull-ups in there as well for bed. She's usually dry in the morning but better safe than sorry. There's also her Abba CD. That'll help her drop off if she won't go down. And there's calpol but she can't have any more for another hour." She looked at her watch. "That'll be two o'clock. I'll be back Monday afternoon so just drop her off at nursery Monday morning. It opens at eight. That's if she's better. If she's not better by Sunday night call Penny. She doesn't work Monday so she should be able to take her. Penny's number's in the bag as well."

As she was talking Ianto had taken the bag from her and gone into the living room. Bronwyn followed Evie's hand in hers. Ianto put the bag in the couch. "Got it." He said. "You'll have your mobile?"

"Of course." Said Bronwyn. Then she scooped Evie up in a hug. "I'm away now Eves." She said. "Uncle Yan is going to look after you while I'm gone so you be good. No throwing up on his carpet eh?" Ianto's face blanched and Bronwyn gave him an amused look. "Don't worry. She's not been sick since six." Evie was deposited on the couch and Bronwyn turned to her little brother. "Thanks Ianto. I mean it. I owe you one."

"It's no bother." Ianto replied. He kissed his sister on the cheek. "Have fun."

"Will do."

Then front door slammed shut and Ianto was alone with his niece. "So…" he said. "T.V?"

Evie nodded and curled up in the corner of the sofa. "71." She mumbled, her thumb back in her mouth.

Ianto didn't argue. He switched the T.V on and turned the freeview box to 71. Ah, Cbeebies. There was an orange bear thing with a purple apron. "What's that?" he asked.

"Squiglet." Was the mumbled reply.

"Hmmm."

Ianto went back to his washing. That was his weekend's plans out the window. It looked like it would be Cbeebiesfor the forseeable future. Not quite what he was planning on watching.

(First fic so any reviews welcome. I know it's not much but there's more to come. But first I'd like to know how many people would be interested in reading a story about juggling child care with Torchwood. I can't help it. I'm a nursery nurse.)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Disclaimer: Torchwood does not belong to me. Neither does Cbeebies.)

It was half past four and the T.V had not shifted from Cbeebies all day. Evie had not shifted from the couch either which wasn't like her. But her temperature had gone down and she'd brightened up enough to have a drink of milk and laugh when Ianto tripped over her bag on his way out of the kitchen with the washing basket. Ianto had not found it so funny. It had meant folding it all over again.

Ianto was now back in the kitchen after watching a particularly educational episode of Nina and the Neurons. He now knew that you couldn't have shadows without a light source. What he wasn't so sure about was what to give Evie for dinner. His cupboards were near enough bare apart from a packet of dried noodles and a box of weetabix. He hardly ever ate at home he realised. It was usually starbucks, a Chinese or pizza with the team. Occasionally Gwen would bring in some left over lasagne. But that was pretty much it. Hardly a healthy diet.

"Evie." He called as he closed the last cupboard door. "You hungry?"

"'es." Came a voice from the living room.

Ianto went back and joined his niece on the couch. "What do you want for dinner?" he asked her.

Evie considered this. After a short silence she settled on "Broccoli."

"Broccoli?" said Ianto disbelievingly. Who ever heard of a kid liking broccoli?

"Yup." Was Evie's reply.

"Are you sure?"

Evie looked up at her uncle. "Yes. Broccoli makes you strong."

"Good point." Ianto conceded. "Do you want anything with your broccoli?"

"Turkey dinosaurs. The flying ones with the wings."

"Right. Broccoli and turkey dinosaurs it is." Ianto picked himself up off the couch and went out into the hall. "Come on then miss. Shoes on." He called over his shoulder.

There was small thump as a pair of feet hit the floor and then the sound of socks dragging across carpet.

* * *

Ten minutes later and they were in the car on the way to the supermarket. It would have been sooner but Ianto had had to fish the car seat out the back of the hall cupboard and get the Abba CD out Evie's bag. She'd insisted it must be played in the car so he was now listening to 'Fernando'. He was just glad they hadn't reached 'Dancing Queen' yet. That song really drove him mad.

* * *

Ianto had a basket in his left hand and Evie's hand clasped in his right. They were standing in the vegetable aisle. "So broccoli." Said Ianto. "You're positive?"

Evie looked up at her uncle and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not lying Uncle Yan." She said.

"I never said you were."

"Do you like broccoli?" Evie asked.

"I don't mind it."

"I like broccoli. So does Sportacus."

Ianto wasn't sure who Sportacus was but he didn't mention it. He had the feeling Evie was already beginning to view him as some kind of idiot. Which was slightly worrying. So he settled on bagging some broccoli and throwing in the basket.

* * *

Ianto and Evie walked through the sliding doors and towards the car park. Broccoli, turkey dinosaurs, milk, two tins of vegetable soup and a cheese and a tomato pizza in a bag. Evie was carrying the bread because she wanted to help.

Ianto lifted Evie into her car seat and strapped her in pushing play on the CD player. He put the shopping in the backseat and made his way round to the driver's side door as 'Waterloo' started to play.

"Uncle Yan?" said Evie as he went to fasten his seatbelt.

"Yes?"

"I don't want be sick." Then she vomited all over the dashboard.

"Evie!" Ianto snapped and immediately regretted it as his niece's face crumpled and she started to wail. "Sorry." He said hurriedly. "I'm sorry sweetheart. It's not your fault."

He dived out the car and back round to the passenger's side again. He yanked open the door and started unbuckling Evie, trying to ignore the smell. After all he'd smelt worse at work. Cleaning out Janet's cell was not a pleasant job.

Evie wrapped her arms round his neck as he lifted her out of the car and buried her face in his neck. She was still sobbing. "I don't like it. I don't like being sick." She said shakily.

"I know, honey, I know." Ianto murmured as he rocked her slightly. Dealing with a sick three year old was making him feel a bit out of his depth "I'll clean it up, it's ok." He opened the back door and sat Evie on the seat. "You just sit there and make sure no one steals the shopping and Uncle Yan will get the cleaning things out the boot." Cleaning up however was something he was good at.

Evie sniffed and smiled slightly. "Ok."

Ianto went round to the boot and opened it up. He grabbed the sponge he used for washing the car and a bottle of mineral water and made his way back round to the front.

He'd cleaned up the dashboard and started on the floor when his mobile rang. He pulled it from his jacket pocket and glanced at the display only to see the word's 'Incoming call… Jack Harkness' flashing on the screen. "Shit." He muttered and pressed accept.

"What?" he said as he put the phone to his ear. Work was not his first priority right now.

There was momentary silence on the other end, Jack was obviously a bit taken aback by the way Ianto had answered the phone. It wasn't his usual 'This is Ianto Jone's, who's calling?' The who's calling wasn't needed Jack thought, not when answering a mobile, but he found it quite sweet. "Ianto?" came his voice at last.

"Yes. Ianto. You did dial my number I presume?"

"Yeah. Yeah I did." Said Jack.

"Well what do you want? I thought I had the weekend off?"

"You did. No you do." Jack was sounding a little flustered now. If it wasn't for the accent he could have sworn he was talking to Owen. "I was just wondering, since things are so quiet here and you're home alone… Hey is that Abba?"

"No. It's not." Said Ianto and he reached up to turn the volume down. One look from Evie though and he withdrew his hand.

"It is." Said Jack. "I didn't know you liked Abba."

"It's not and I don't." said Ianto sharply. "You must be hearing things. Now what do you want Jack?"

"Right. Erm. I was just wondering if you fancied going out for a drink. Or something to eat. Or both. Up to you really."

Ianto sighed. Jack had rubbish timing. Or was it Bronwyn who had the rubbish timing? Either way a drink and something to eat with Jack Harkness was out of the question. He doubted the kind of place Jack had in mind was family friendly and even if it was Evie was likely to throw up all over their floor. "Sorry Jack. I'm a bit busy tonight."

"Oh." Jack said, sounding disappointed. "Maybe another time then?"

"Yeah, maybe another time Jack."

"So I'll see you Monday?"

"Monday, nine am." Said Ianto and hung up the phone. He turned round to face Evie. "There we go. All clean." He fetched her from the backseat and took her round to the front.

"I won't tell." Said Evie as she was strapped in for the second time.

"Won't tell?" Ianto echoed.

"You said shit." Said Evie matter-of-factly. "That's a naughty word."

Ianto almost swore again but managed to stop himself. If Bronwyn found out he'd used bad language in front of Evie he was in for a slap and Bronwyn had a hell of a slap. "Sorry." He said "Won't happen again. Now do you still want that broccoli?"

"Yup." Said Evie with a small nod. "And the flying dinosaurs."

"Let's go then."

(Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. And I'm also really enjoying writing this story so there's definitely going to be more. Thanks again.)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood.)

Ianto pulled the cover back and pointed to the bed. "In you go."

Evie was standing in the doorway in a pair of pink pyjamas, her blue blanket hanging loosely in her hand. She shook her head and took a step backwards.

"It's half past nine Evie." Said Ianto. "When your mum phoned she said eight. I've let you stay up an extra hour and a half already."

"Two minutes." Said Evie, taking another backward step. 

After throwing up in the car Evie had perked up considerably. She'd eaten most of her broccoli and talked to her mum on the phone. She'd had a bath as well and only splashed minimal amounts of water on the floor. Now she was perfectly happy. However she was also wide awake and refusing to go to bed. Ianto sighed. "No. Not two minutes. It's bed time. Now."

Evie looked at the bed and back up at her uncle. Then turned on her heel and ran down the hall. Ianto let out another exasperated sigh and sat down with a thump. He was not going to chase her. Not again. She could hide under the coffee table for as long as she wanted this time. So instead of dragging Evie out of the living room and back down the hall for what would have seemed the two hundredth time, Ianto kicked off his trainers and lay back on the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He'd give her ten, fifteen minutes at the most and then try again. .

Ianto was just considering getting up to fetch his runaway niece when the doorbell rang. His eyes shot open. 'What? Who the hell is that?' This was Ianto's first thought. His second thought was 'No. Surely not. He wouldn't would he?'

But he had. Captain Jack Harkness was on the other side of the bloody door. Ianto looked through the spy-hole again. And yes he was still there, he was not hallucinating. Should he answer it? Or pretend he wasn't in? He really didn't have time for Jack at the moment. Evie was enough trouble all by herself. She was probably still under the coffee table. The bell rang again only this time there was a thump on the door to accompany it. Ianto looked towards the living room and then back at the door still undecided. Then there came three more thumps on the door, this time louder. Any more of this and the neighbours would start complaining.

Ianto turned the key and yanked the door open. "I am not bloody deaf Jack."

"Oh, so you are in." said Jack as he pushed his way past into the hall.

"Jack I'm…." Ianto started to say, intending to warn him about Evie.

Jack held up a hand and shushed him. "Wait. Let me speak. I'm here to say sorry."

Ianto's brow knitted with confusion. "Excuse me?" What was he on about? 

"When I phoned earlier you were obviously annoyed about something, so whatever it is I did I'm sorry."

Ianto looked at Jack in disbelief. "So you came all the way round here to apologise but you don't actually have a clue what you're apologising for?"

"Pretty much." Jack grinned sheepishly.

"I cannot believe you." Ianto cried, running a hand through his hair. "Not everything I do revolves around you. Or Torchwood for thatmatter.I sounded annoyed when you phoned because I was busy. I was actually busy. I was…" Before he could get any further he was interrupted by the sound of the T.V turning on.

Jack turned slightly and looked at the living room door. "Oh I see. Obviously I'm interrupting something here."

"No you're not…" Ianto managed before being cut off again. This was starting to get a bit annoying.

"Ianto unless you've got a poltergeist there is someone else in that room. Someone you don't want me to meet. And I don't mind, really I don't. You deserve to have a bit of fun in your free time. I'll just go, it's not like…"

This was the last straw for Ianto. "Will you just shut up and listen!" he yelled. Jack's mouth literally dropped open. Ianto would have laughed if he wasn't so wound up. Instead he continued shouting. "It's my niece Jack! My bloody niece!"

"Uncle Yan?" came a small voice from behind Jack. Ianto's shouting had drawn Evie out from under the table where she'd been contentedly watching the shopping channel and she was now standing in the living room doorway, eyes wide and her blanket clutched in both hands.

Jack looked at Evie and then back at Ianto. "Oh," was all he said.

"You were shouting." Said Evie in an accusing tone.

"Sorry Evie." Said Ianto, "Sorry, I just… I was…" 

"He didn't mean it." Said Jack, stepping in. "He was just a bit cross with me that's all. People sometimes shout without thinking when they're cross."

"Is it 'cause you got mud on the floor?" Evie asked and she pointed at Jack's boots. They were indeed quite muddy.

Jack smiled. "Yeah. That's it. He was mad because I got the floor dirty."

Evie nodded in understanding. "He doesn't like having to clean things. He didn't like me being sick in the car."

"Really?" said Jack, getting down on his knees so he was on her level. "Did he shout at you too?"

Evie nodded. "He said sorry though."

"Good." Said Jack. "You should always say sorry."

"Saying sorry is kind." Agreed Evie. As she was talking she was getting closer to Jack and her grip had loosened on her blanket. She was now only a step or so away. She lowered her voice to almost a whisper. "Then his phone made a noise and do you know what?" Ianto considered putting a hand over her mouth to stop her but he just didn't have the energy.

"What?" said Jack, his grin widening. This kid was cute.

"Uncle Yan said a naughty word. But I'm not going to tell 'cause he got me broccoli." 

Jack turned to look at Ianto who had been silent throughout this whole exchange. "You got her Broccoli? For a treat? Where was the ice cream? The chocolate? The fizzy drink even?"

"Broccoli's good for you apparently." Ianto replied not caring how stupid this sounded, he was just happy Evie hadn't repeated the S word again.

Jack tutted in mock disgust. "What kind of uncle are you? I feel sorry for the kid." With this he pulled half a packet of fruit pastilles from his greatcoat pocket. "Here." He said and handed them to Evie. "For you sweetheart."

"You can't give her sugar at this time of night!" Ianto told him. 

"Oh a couple of fruit pastilles won't hurt." Said Jack nonchalantly.

"She'll hit the ceiling!" Ianto's voice was becoming increasingly more strained.

"Don't exaggerate." Said Jack with a smile. He turned to Evie. "You keep them gorgeous."

Evie looked at the sweets in her hand in delight. "Thank you." She said and darted back down the hall. She stopped at the living room door and turned around. "Take your coat off if you're staying." She said before running the rest of the way to the couch.

Jack stood up and turned to Ianto. "I think I will stay for a bit," he said as he took off his coat. 

"Jack she's supposed to be going to bed." 

"A few more minutes won't make a difference." 

Jack went into the living room and joined Evie on the couch. Ianto resisted the urge to throttle him.

(Again thank you for the reviews.)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood)

It was now half past ten and Evie was finally asleep. Not in the bed though, she was curled up on the couch between Jack and Ianto, her head resting on her uncle's lap.

Ianto looked across at Jack and narrowed his eyes. "That was a few more minutes?"

"Ok. Maybe it was a little longer."

"A little? Jack you've been here an hour."

"Well it was a good hour." Said Jack with a grin.

Ianto shot him a look that said he begged to differ.

* * *

Things had started off well enough. Evie and Jack had settled down to watch the shopping channel and Ianto had gone and made some coffee. Evie had eaten her sweets. Then Ianto had told her it was bedtime. Evie had demanded a story first. Jack had offered to tell her one. It had gone downhill from there.

Ianto had left Jack to it and gone into the kitchen to wash the mugs. When he returned Evie was standing on the armchair in the corner. Ianto watched as Jack cried "Go!" and Evie jumped with a thump to the floor. She ran three times round the coffee table. Then Jack yelled "Shark!" and she dived onto the couch beside him with a shriek.

"That's a story is it?" said Ianto from the doorway.

Jack looked up at him and grinned that infuriating grin. "It's interactive."

"Again!" squealed Evie and she ran back to the armchair.

Ianto strode over and picked her up. "Bed." He said.

"The sharks Uncle Yan! They're eating your legs!" screamed Evie as her uncle carried her across the living room. Ianto ignored her and took her into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers and dropped her onto the mattress. Evie scowled at him. Ianto tucked her in, switched off the light then shut the door behind him.

Evie rolled over and looked at the door. It remained resolutely closed. Uncle Yan was not coming back. And she'd been having such a nice time playing 'Shark!' as well. But maybe… just maybe… she could play it by herself. She threw the covers off and stood up on the bed. She wobbled slightly but managed to keep her balance. She looked down at the stormy sea (in other words her uncle's laminate flooring and blue rug) but could see no sharks. She dived in and 'swam' over to the curtains but oh no! A shark! She ran back to the bed and threw herself back on giggling manically.

She was really starting to get into the game when the bedroom door swung open to reveal her uncle. He did not look pleased. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"There's sharks Uncle Yan." Said Evie in explanation, jumping up and down on the bed. "And a scary octopus monster. Quick, get on the boat!"

Ianto sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "You should be sleeping." He said. "Not jumping about like a lunatic. Downstairs are going to complain."

"Nuh uh." Said Evie. "I'm going swimming." And she jumped off the bed and onto the floor. She ran round in circles for a couple of seconds then yelled "Shark!" and threw herself on top of her uncle.

Ianto hadn't been expecting this and fell backwards. His head hit the headboard with a resounding crack and he yelped in pain. Evie didn't let this bother her; she just laughed and started jumping on the bed again. Ianto gingerly felt the back of his head with his fingers. They came away sticky, he must have caught the edge of the headboard then. He moaned and prodded it again. Not only was he bleeding there was one hell of lump coming up as well.

Evie, seeing she wasn't the centre of attention anymore, clambered into her uncle's lap. "Did you bump yourself?" she asked.

"Yes." He said taking another look at the blood on his fingers.

"Oh." Said Evie as she noticed it too, "That's blood that is." Her eyes widened.

"I'm ok." Said Ianto, trying to reassure her.

Evie didn't need any reassurance. She knew what to do. She jumped off the bed and ran into the living room. "Uncle Yan needs a plaster!" she yelled at Jack.

Jack looked up as Ianto followed his niece into the room. His fingers were again exploring the lump on the back of his head. "What happened?" he asked, trying not to sound too amused.

"I hit my head." Ianto said shortly and went into to the kitchen to get the first aid kit.

When Ianto returned Evie was sitting at the coffee table with a piece of paper and a pen, her face screwed up in concentration. She was probably drawing a shark. Jack was watching her from the couch, a small smile on his face. Ianto collapsed into the seat beside him a wet cloth pressed to the back of his head.

"She's cute isn't she?" said Jack without looking up.

"When she's not beating me to a pulp." Ianto muttered.

Jack laughed. "It can't be that bad."

Ianto took the cloth from his head and showed the small red stain to Jack. "She drew blood."

Jack just laughed harder. So much for the sympathy then.

Evie had now finished her picture and was pushing Ianto to the side so she could sit between him and Jack. She shoved the paper under Jack's nose. "Look! It's a shark. And a octopus. And a starfish. And a crab." She said, pointing to various scribbles.

"Very nice." Said Jack.

"You're turn." Said Evie and she handed him the pen.

She and Jack then spent the rest of the hour drawing various sea creeatures. Since this was a lot quieter than playing 'Shark!" Ianto didn't complain. Eventually Evie had curled up, her head in Ianto's lap, and asked him to tell her a story. He'd gone for the more conventional "Sleeping Beauty' and within minutes she was asleep.

* * *

"Admit it." Said Jack. "It wasn't all bad."

"Well Evie seemed to enjoy herself ." Ianto conceded. "But if Bronwyn finds out she was up this late I'm a dead man."

"She won't find out."

"Oh really?" Ianto raised an eyebrow. "You were here for how long? A minute maybe? And she was telling you I was swearing."

"You may have a point."

"I do." Said Ianto trying to hold back a yawn and failing miserably.

"Tired?" Jack asked. Ianto really was adorable when he yawned.

Ianto nodded mutely as another yawn took hold.

"I'll go then." Said Jack and made to get up.

"No. Stay there. I'll put Evie to bed then see you out properly." Ianto pulled Evie into his lap then stood up slowly. She moaned and pushed her face closer to his neck. Ianto stood stock still. He really didn't want to wake her. Once he was convinced she was still asleep he moved off to the bedroom.

A minute or so later he returned with Jack's coat in his hand.

"Throwing me out?" asked Jack, getting up from the couch.

"You could stay but I don't think I'd be much company. You know on account of me being asleep."

Jack took the coat from Ianto and shrugged it on. "Well I suppose I better get going then."

"I suppose so." Said Ianto as he walked with Jack to the door. He paused with his hand on the door handle and turned back to look at Jack. "You know that drink you were talking about?"

"What about it?"

"Next week maybe?"

"Next week sounds good." Jack said with a smile.

There was a moment of silence as they both stood in front of the door, not knowing quite what to say. Then Ianto leant in and caught Jack's lips with his own. It wasn't much as kisses went, it lasted less than a second probably but Jack was pleasantly surprised nonetheless. He really hadn't been expecting it; he'd hardly had a civil word out of Ianto all day. "What was that for?" he asked.

"Does there need to be reason?"

"Other than the fact I'm totally irresistible? I suppose not."

Ianto opened his mouth to make a sarcastic reply but Jack stopped him with another kiss. This kiss was deeper and hungrier than the first and Jack's arms snaked around Ianto's waist meaning to pull him closer. But before he could Ianto pulled away. "Not the time Jack." He said with a nod towards the bedroom where Evie was currently fast asleep. If she woke up and caught him with Jack … well he wouldn't want to have to explain that one to Bronwyn. He was going to be in enough trouble as it was when she found out about the swearing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ianto groaned and rolled over, expecting to end up on the other side of his rather comfortable double bed. Instead he ended up on the floor. Which wasn't comfortable in the slightest. He groaned again and opened his eyes to find himself looking up at his living room ceiling. Oh yes, that would be because he'd slept on the couch. He lay there for a minute or two letting his eyes adjust to the light that was streaming in through the blinds. Then he slowly got to his feet and went to check on his niece.

As he peered through the gap in the door Ianto couldn't help but smile. Evie at some point during the night had thrown the duvet off and she was curled up with her thumb in her mouth and her blanket clutched to her chest. The fact Evie was small enough to fit on the pillow just made his smile wider. She was utterly adorable.

He was just about to close the door and go and put the kettle on when Evie took her thumb out her mouth and her eyes blinked open. "Mummy?" she said blearily, not quite awake yet.

"No not mummy." Said Ianto from the door. "It's me, Uncle Yan."

Evie's forehead creased as she thought about this. "And Jack?" she said at last.

"Jack's gone home." Said Ianto as he crossed the floor to the bed.

"I like Jack." Said Evie, now sitting up. "He likes sharks."

"That's good." Said Ianto, not knowing what the appropriate response to this would be. "Do you want some breakfast?"

Evie nodded. "Coco pops." She said.

"I've only got Weetabix."

Again Evie's brow creased in thought and there was a brief silence. "Ok." She said eventually. "But can we go and see Jack?"

"Not today. He's busy." Said Ianto and he set off for the kitchen.

* * *

"Can we go see Jack?" asked Evie for the fifth time that morning.

"He's busy," was the reply yet again. Evie was obviously quite taken with Jack. Not that anyone would blame her thought Ianto.

Evie let her spoon drop into her bowl with a clink. "But can we go see him?"

"I don't think so."

"Where does he live?"

"Far away. Too far away for us to visit." Said Ianto hoping to discourage the relentless questioning.

"In China?"

"No not China but it is pretty far." Answered Ianto, impressed at his niece's grasp of geography. China was about as far away as you could get.

"Could we drive there?"

"No." Ianto lied. "And anyway we're going to the park."

"Can Jack come?"

"I've already told you, he's busy."

There was a brief silence as Evie looked at the mush in her bowl. "Does Jack like Weetabix?" she asked.

Ianto groaned. All he'd heard about all morning was Jack. It was driving him to distraction. Evie was totally obsessed. It was probably the fruit pastilles Ianto mused. Give a three year old sugar and you had a friend for life.

* * *

Ianto walked along the street, Evie's hand gripped firmly in his. He highly doubted she'd run out into the road, she was a smart kid, but better to be safe than sorry. They were on the way to the park, just as Ianto had promised. He'd thought it would maybe distract Evie away from asking about Jack. It hadn't.

"Does Jack have a car?" asked Evie as one whooshed past.

"Yes." Ianto replied.

"Is it blue?"

"It's black."

"It should be blue. I like blue. Jack likes blue too I think. Do you like blue?"

"I suppose so."

"The sky is blue."

"It is, you're right."

"And my blanket is blue."

"Yes." Said Ianto, and although the conversation was getting steadily more tedious he couldn't help feeling quite proud that his niece had mastered colour recognition.

"So is Jack's coat. It's a big coat."

"Yes."

"Can I have a blue coat?"

"No. You've got a pink one. You like pink."

Evie nodded. "Yup. Mummy does too. And my coat has a flower on it." She looked at Ianto's denim jacket. "Yours doesn't. It's blue like…"

"Jack's?" Ianto finished for her.

"Yup. Like Jack's. I like Jack."

"I know." Said Ianto trying to keep his tone cheery. Hopefully when they got to the park he would get a break.

* * *

Ianto sat on a bench and watched as Evie ran across a wooden bridge that was part of the climbing frame. She was screaming something at a little boy on the ground. It was probably about sharks. As he thought this Ianto's hand strayed to the back of his head. It was still a little tender and he was blaming this on Jack. No Jack, no interactive shark story, no bump to the head. But then again there would have been no kissing in the hallway either so things hadn't been all bad. Ianto couldn't help smile as the thought crossed his mind. All the way here he'd been wishing Evie would stop going on about Jack, and now she had and here he was thinking about him of his own volition.

"Uncle Yan!" Evie yelled from the top of the slide, wrenching Ianto away from his thoughts. "Look at me."

Ianto watched as Evie lay down on her front and made to go down head first. Then it clicked… head first. That wasn't going to turn out well. "Evie! Don't you dare!" he cried as he leapt off the bench.

Evie pulled herself up with an almighty sigh. "Ok. On my bottom." She said and she put her legs out in front of her.

Ianto sighed himself, with relief this time, and sat back down on the bench. He'd pulled his phone from his pocket and was sifting through his inbox when another yell from Evie got his attention. This time she was standing on top of the tunnel that connected the slide to the climbing frame. Was she trying to give him a heart-attack?

"I'm stuck!" Evie yelled again as Ianto sprinted over.

"Come here." He said and he held his arms out.

Evie sat down and slid off the tunnel into her uncle's outstretched arms. "Thank you," She said, "the tigers nearly got me." Then she wriggled out his grip and dashed away. Five more minutes and they were leaving. Ianto couldn't take much more of this.

They ended up spending another twenty minutes at the park before Ianto decided it was time to go. During the twenty minutes Evie had another three near death experiences. Two of these on the slide and one when she ran in front of a swing. Ianto's nerves were getting more frayed by the second.

"So where next?" asked Ianto as they walked back down the road towards the flat.

"Can we go see Jack?"

Ianto forced a smile and tried diversionary tactics again. "How about we get some lunch instead?"

"At McDonald's?"

Ianto thought about this. One McDonald's wouldn't hurt her, he couldn't see Bronwyn feeding her daughter rubbish everyday so it would probably be a treat. But his own diet hadn't been too great recently so maybe not. "There's a café near here. They have doughnuts."

"Doughnuts are good." Evie agreed. "Does Jack like doughnuts?"

An image of Jack shoving a whole jam doughnut into his mouth crossed Ianto's mind and he grinned. "I'd have to say yes." He replied.

"Can we get him one?"

"Maybe another day."

* * *

Ianto watched as Evie pulled the lettuce off her sandwich and piled it methodically on the right hand side of the plate. She'd already gone through this process with the cucumber and tomato; they were piled neatly on the left.

"Are you going to eat that?" Ianto asked.

"Yes." Said Evie without looking up. "But you have to eat the cheese first."

"Ah." Well that made sense. Of a sort.

"Cheese is good for your bones. It makes them strong, that's what Kirsty says."

"Who's Kirsty?"

"Kirsty at nursery. She makes snack sometimes. Only sometimes though, 'cause Eloise makes it sometimes too. And playdough."

"Eloise makes playdough?"

"Yes. With coffee in. It smells nice but tastes yucky. You shouldn't eat playdough."

"No, probably not."

"Connor eated the playdough. And the sand. That was yucky too."

Ianto grimaced at the thought of sand crunching between teeth. "I can imagine."

"Connor's silly. He eated a crayon one time. It was green like lettuce but it wasn't lettuce. It was a crayon."

"Hmmm." Said Ianto. The conversation was running away from him slightly but at least there was no mention of Jack yet.

"Crayon's are for drawing not eating. I like drawing. I drawed a house at nursery with a roof and a camel."

Ianto raised an eyebrow. "A camel? In a house?"

"No silly. The camel was in the garden. If I drawed a camel inside it would eat the curtains."

Ianto nodded. This, he had to admit, was logical thinking.

"I saw a camel at the zoo." Evie continued. "And a polar bear. It was white."

"They usually are."

"Does Jack like polar bears?"

Oh well, though Ianto, he'd had a good run. "I don't know." He said in answer.

"I think he does. Jack likes good things."

It had taken Evie a good half hour to finish her sandwich. She had started with the cheese and bread before moving on to the salad, just as she'd said she would. She'd just started on her doughnut when Ianto's phone rang. "Answer it." Evie said, dropping the sticky mess back on to her plate.

Ianto pulled his phone from his pocket. The words 'Incoming call…. Jack Harkness' flashed across the screen. Déjà vu thought Ianto as he pressed accept. "Ianto Jones here, who's calling?"

"Hey Ianto." Came Jack's voice from the other end. "Sorry to bother you but Tosh found a suspect item on an online auction site yesterday. She and Gwen went to check it out and it turns out this guy had a garage full of alien tech. It's going to take an age to sort through and I thought…"

"That I'd come in and help out because I've got nothing better to do?"

"Well… yes."

"Jack you do remember I've got my niece staying with me don't you? Or was last night all in my imagination?"

"I thought you'd have given her back by now."

Given her back? Evie wasn't a DVD he'd borrowed. "No. I have not 'given her back' yet. Bronwyn's not due back until tomorrow afternoon. I'm keeping Evie tonight and dropping her off at nursery in the morning." Where she can play with coffee flavoured playdough he thought to himself.

There was silence on the other end of the line as Jack thought this over. "Bring her with you." He said at last.

Ianto almost choked on his tongue. "You cannot be serious…" he said and thought of how stressed he'd been watching her at the park. That had been designed as child-friendly. He didn't want to think about the trouble she'd get into in the hub which was anything but.

"Bring her with you." Jack repeated.

"Jack, I can't, there are rules…."

"Ianto, remind me, who's in charge here?"

Ianto didn't give him the satisfaction of answering; Jack Harkness had a big enough ego already. "No Jack. I'm not bringing her in. What if she says something? We've got a bloody pterodactyl Jack she's bound to mention it. And there's no way I'm retconning a three year old. Especially not my niece"

"You won't need too. Like you said, she's three years old, people will put it down to an over active imagination. She's got one of those already by the way."

"No. I'll just have to sort it out tomorrow."

"There's way too much of it to leave 'til tomorrow Ianto. It's taking up space."

"Then get someone else to do it."

"Well _I_ can't, things to do. Gwen has got the family of that weevil victim to talk to, I don't envy her. Tosh is working on that device we found on Wednesday… or was it Thursday? Either way she still can't make head nor tail of it, it's driving her round the bend. That leaves Owen… I don't think he's too busy… I could get him to make a start."

"You wouldn't…" The thought of Owen let loose in the archives was not one Ianto liked.

"Well someone's got to do it. I told you, that stuff is taking up way too much space. So if you can't… well it's gonna have to be Owen."

Ianto paled slightly at the thought. Filing and cataloguing was not something Owen was particularly good at. In fact he was terrible at it. Ianto would just have to do it all over again and that would take double the time. "Alright." He said. "Let me get changed and grab some stuff for Evie then I'll be right there." He hung up the phone before Jack could say anything else.

"That was Jack." Said Evie from across the table.

"Yes. It was."

"Can we go see him?"

"Yes. But I need to go home and get changed first."

"Can we bring him a doughnut?" Evie asked, her face lighting up. At least someone was happy.

"I suppose so." Ianto replied, although to be fair what Jack deserved right now, in Ianto's humble opinion, was a punch in the face not a sugary snack.

(Sorry that took so long to get up. Work to do and all that. And thanks again for the reviews. Really I mean it. They make my day.)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The traffic, for a Sunday, was terrible. This meant Ianto had to spend more time in a confined space with his extremely excited niece than was probably good for him. The poor man was being bombarded with a constant stream of Jack related chatter which only ceased when Evie had to stop for air. He nodded along and added the odd 'Yes' or 'I know' but his patience was gradually evaporating.

However the slow moving traffic also meant that he had the chance to think. And what he was thinking was that if he'd thought things through properly while still on the phone he would now be back at the flat with Evie and her new colouring book, not sitting in his car, which still smelt faintly of sick despite the generous spraying of air freshener and the open windows. If he'd been calm and rational he'd have realised that Jack had wanted him in the hub, he didn't need him there. There was a difference. A number of things had led him to this conclusion. For starters it was very unlikely that whatever Gwen and Tosh had picked up was taking up 'way too much space', however much of it there was. Torchwood's basement levels were never-ending or as good as at least. Jack could have found somewhere to shove it all until Monday.

Then there was the business of Owen being let loose in the archives. Anytime Owen ventured down there it took all of Ianto's self-control to stop himself from dragging the man out again before he messed everything up completely. Jack had obviously noticed and used this knowledge to his advantage; he could be a manipulative bastard sometimes. Ianto was quite happily thinking up more uncharitable names for his boss when Evie decided that she wasn't getting enough attention. To remedy this she jabbed her uncle pointedly in the ribs with her index finger.

"Ow." Grunted Ianto. "What was that for?"

"You weren't listening. I said sing a song."

Ianto shook his head.

"Please?" Said Evie. "Singing is good."

"I can't sing." her uncle informed her.

"Everybody can sing Kirsty says."

"Well Kirsty's wrong."

"No she's not. She's a teacher. You have to listen to teachers 'cause if you don't you go on time out."

"Really?"

"For three minutes." Evie said gravely.

"Wow."

"Sing Three Little Monkeys."

"I don't know it."

"Sing Miss Polly had a Dolly."

"Don't know that one either." He was hoping if he kept saying this Evie would eventually give up.

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." She suggested.

"No. Don't know it."

"Everyone knows Twinkle Twinkle." She said gazing up at her uncle suspicously. "The seniors sing it and the juniors sing it and the babies sing it."

"Well I don't. You sing a song if you're that bored."

"Ok then." Said Evie and she launched into 'The Wheels on the Bus'.

By the time they reached their destination Ianto's head was close to exploding. Evie had run out of standard verses quite quickly but instead of stopping, or even choosing another song, she'd decided to make up her own. As the car pulled to a stop there had been dinosaurs, chickens, tigers, doctors, giraffes, rockets and of course sharks on the bus. The tune was going to be stuck in his head for weeks.

* * *

Ianto had decided to take Evie in through Tourist Information. As his niece put the fifteenth leaflet in her navy bag he started to regret this decision.

"Remind me again… why do you need all of those?" he asked as she moved onto the bus timetables.

"For the cutting table." Evie replied as she shoved yet another leaflet into her bag.

"Right. The cutting table, of course. Do you really need that many?"

"We do lots of cutting Uncle Yan."

Ianto was trying to think of a suitable reply to this when he heard a key turn in the lock behind him. He turned round to see Tosh struggling through the door laden down with two Café Nero bags and a cardboard cup-holder full of coffee. "Let me." He said and he took the cup-holder from her.

"Thanks Ianto." She said rewarding him with a dazzling smile.

"My coffee not good enough for you anymore?" he asked jokingly as Tosh turned back to lock the door.

"Don't be silly. If I'd known you were coming in I'd have been saved a trip. Weren't you supposed to have the weekend off?"

"You mean this isn't Monday?" he said with a perfectly straight face.

Tosh laughed "No really… why are you here?"

"Jack called me in. Something about a garage full of alien tech."

"And that couldn't wait?"

"Apparently not."

Again Evie felt she was being unjustly ignored and it was time to make her presence felt. So she wandered over to her uncle and yanked hard on the back of his jacket. Ianto took an involuntary step backward and almost dropped the coffee he was holding. "Evie!" he snapped. "Careful!"

The little girl looked up at Ianto, her face a picture of innocence. "Sorry Uncle Yan." She said quietly.

"This…" said Ianto, nodding his head at the cups in the holder, "is coffee. And it's very, very hot."

"Sorry." The little girl repeated.

"Ianto?" said Tosh, interrupting.

"Hmm?" said Ianto turning back to face her.

"Who's this?"

"Sorry Tosh. This is Evie, my sister's little girl. I'm looking after her this weekend."

"And you brought her here?" Tosh asked incredulously.

"It wasn't my idea."

"It was Jack's?"

"It was Jack's."

"Ah, well that makes more sense. He never does think straight when he's coffee deprived."

* * *

Evie had been very impressed with the 'Secret Scooby Doo door' as she'd christened it. She had also been impressed by the lift, especially as Ianto had let her press the button. The lights above the rolling door had caused her to utter a squeak of delight. But all of this was quickly forgotten as soon as she saw Jack.

"Hey gorgeous." Jack said as a small dark-haired blur flew across the hub at break-neck speed.

"Jack!" Evie shrieked and she threw her arms around his legs. "We brought you a doughnut."

"Did you now?"

"Uh huh. It's a jam one."

"Jam? My favourite." Jack said, grinning down at the little girl still attached to his leg.

Evie beamed. "I like jam too. And chocolate and toffee. But I had a jam one for lunch."

"Ianto got you a doughnut? For lunch?" He looked up at Ianto with a smirk. "Haven't you heard of the term 'nutritionally balanced diet'?"

"For your information sir she also had a cheese salad sandwich. Now where are these alien items you want me to catalogue?" Ianto asked, trying not to let Jack wind him up.

"That can wait. I was kinda hoping you'd make some coffee first."

"Tosh has just been out to buy coffee.' Ianto said with a frown. It could wait could it? That wasn't what he'd said on the phone.

"But you didn't make it."

"No. That would be because I don't work in Café Nero." Ianto resisted the urge to add 'although I may as well'. He didn't want this to dissolve into a petty argument. He wanted to get whatever it was Jack needed doing done and then get back home.

"Oh go on Ianto…" Jack said coaxingly. "The time it took Tosh to get here it'll be lukewarm by now."

"You'll live. Now where's the alien tech?"

Jack said nothing; he just stood there with one hand resting on Evie's mop of curls and a beseeching look on his face. He was going to wait this out. Sooner or later Ianto would break and head over to the coffee machine with a sigh. He was sure of it.

Tosh however was not in the mood. In her opinion calling Ianto in on his day off to deal with something as mundane as cataloguing was pure selfishness. "I know where it is." She said, ignoring the glare Jack was sending her way.

"Brilliant." Said Ianto. "You show me where everything is. Jack you can watch Evie."

"But…" Jack started to say but Ianto didn't let him finish.

"I can't watch her and catalogue at the same time. I don't even want to _imagine_ the trouble she could get into down there when I can't keep a proper eye on her. She'll be better off with you in the office. You'll be fine; I bought her a colouring book on the way here. That should keep her occupied."

And without giving Jack a chance to object Ianto and Tosh disappeared down to the archives.

"So…" said Jack, looking down at his new charge. "You brought you're colouring book then?"

"Yup." Said Evie with a grin. "It's got sharks in."

* * *

Jack was sitting at his desk going through some paperwork. Evie sat opposite colouring a cat with a purple crayon.

"Cat's aren't purple." Jack said as he spotted what she was doing.

"It's not a cat." Was the reply.

Jack took another glance at it. It certainly looked like a cat. "What is it then?" he asked.

"It's a alien cat."

Jack nodded, satisfied, and went back to his paperwork. So far there had already been an alien giraffe (pink), an alien tiger (green) and an alien post-box (blue). The post-box had been the first. When Jack had said 'post-boxes are red angel' Evie had replied 'I know' and given him a withering look. Jack had tentatively asked her what colour her crayon was. Evie had told him it was 'blue silly' and given him another of her looks. After a few seconds silence she had added 'it's a alien post-box you know'. And thus a new trend had begun.

Watching a three-year old colour in aliens was not how he had planned to spend the afternoon but he had to admit it wasn't too bad. At least he had someone to talk to while doing the paperwork. Jack signed the bottom of the sheet he was working on and reached for a report he had to double-check before sending it off to UNIT. His fingers closed on air. It wasn't where he had left it and as he looked up he realised why this was. Evie had it.

"Stop!" Jack barked as Evie reached for the orange crayon but it was too late, there was already a line of untidy purple scrawl across the top of the page.

Evie dropped her hand and looked at Jack wide-eyed. "Why?" she asked.

"You don't draw on paperwork." He said and realised he'd said the exact same thing to their resident doctor not two weeks before. Owen had handed in an inventory of medical supplies complete with rude sketches in the margin. 'They're not rude. They're anatomical.' Owen had insisted. Jack had told him he didn't care and the point still stood.

"I wasn't drawing." Said Evie. "I was writing. Like you."

Jack pulled the paper towards him. The scribbles did vaguely resemble script he supposed but he doubted UNIT would appreciate that.

"I was helping." Evie added, crestfallen.

"Honey you don't need to help. I can do it."

"Ok." Said Evie, sounding a little dejected. She went back to her colouring book.

There were a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jack re-writing the UNIT report and Evie colouring in a teddy bear. Then the singing started.

"The wheels on the bus go round and round,  
Round and round, round and round,  
The wheels on the bus go round and round'  
All day long!

Jack smiled. Evie really was a sweetheart and she had lovely little voice.

Five minutes later though and Evie had moved on to

"The doctors on the bus go say ah please,  
Say ah please, say ah please,  
The doctors on the bus go say ah please,  
All day long!"

and Jack had revised his opinion. The singing was starting to grate on his nerves. And the phone was ringing. 'Ssssh!" he said to Evie a finger to his lips. Evie quietened. He picked up the receiver. "Captain Jack Harkness speaking."

Evie tapped a crayon on the desk impatiently as Jack talked to whoever was on the phone. It was not a particularly interesting conversation and there were far too many complicated words for her liking. So she decided to amuse herself.

"Three little monkeys swinging through the trees," she muttered launching into another nursery rhyme.

Jack looked across the desk. He narrowed his eyes and put a finger to his lips. Evie ignored him.

By the time Jack had finished on the phone Evie was on the last little monkey ("… along came Mr. Crocodile as quiet as can be aaaaaaaaaannnd SNAP! There were no more monkeys swinging through the trees.") and Jack had come to the conclusion that a three-year-old in his office was not going to work. So he got up from his desk and strolled over to the door and to look out across the hub. There was only one person in sight, working away at a computer. But she'd do.

"Tosh!" he called. "I've got a job for you."

(Sorry this took so long to get out but after watching episode 13 I was in mourning. I'm sure you understand. Anyway I hope you like it.)


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jack had introduced the coffee lady as 'Tosh', settled Evie on the couch behind her desk and then disappeared. Evie was not happy about this. She'd brought him a doughnut and everything. And now she was starting to get bored. She scribbled half-heartedly at the colouring book in her lap and tried to think of something fun she could do. Then an idea hit her. The coffee lady had been on the computer for ages, maybe she'd let Evie have a turn. "Do you have Haunted House?" she asked hopefully.

Tosh turned to look at the little girl on the couch. She'd almost forgotten she was there. "What's Haunted House?" she asked.

"It's a story with ghosts in. And you use the mouse and click stuff and the trees turn into rockets."

"No. Sorry. No Haunted House."

"Have you got the birthday one? If you click the cake the candles go on."

"No. I haven't got any computer stories."

"Can I write my name with the buttons? Mummy lets me write my name with the buttons." This was nowhere near as fun as a computer story but since the lady didn't seem to have any it would do.

"Not now sweetheart. I'm working." Said Tosh. At least she had been until Jack had put her on babysitting duty.

Evie sighed in a theatrical manner and pulled her navy bag up onto the couch with her. Maybe she'd find something to do in there. She unzipped it and looked inside. CD, spare clothes, tourist information leaflets. Ah, leaflets. Those were promising. Now if only she could find some scissors. She would to have to ask she supposed. Now a bit happier Evie dropped off the couch and made her way over to the computer station. She prodded the coffee lady on the shoulder.

Tosh didn't even turn around. "Yes?" she asked.

"I need scissors." Evie stated.

"What for?"

"To cut leaflets."

"Well I don't have any scissors. I'm sorry." Evie's face dropped and Tosh felt quite sorry for her. The little girl was obviously bored out of her mind. So Tosh searched her desk for something to keep her occupied. She spotted her rubiks cube on the edge of the table; beside it was a pack of highlighters. She picked them both up. "I do have these," she said passing them to Evie "are they any good?"

Evie looked at the items she'd been handed. They were not scissors but they were better than nothing and she had been brought up to be polite. "Thank you very much." She said smiling sweetly.

Tosh smiled back. It was nice to see good manners in someone so young. "You're welcome." She replied watching the girl wander back to the couch. Hopefully those would keep her busy. Especially since she was actually getting somewhere with the infuriating remote control looking thing on her desk.

Evie coloured in an evil looking rabbit with a yellow highlighter then spent a few minutes fiddling with the rubiks cube before the boredom returned. She spotted the leaflets she'd pulled out her bag and remembered the need for scissors. Coffee lady had said she had none and Evie believed her. She was pretty and liked typing like mummy did. But Jack might have some, or Uncle Yan maybe. So with this thought in mind she slid off the couch again and went to look for them.

First she padded over to Jack's office but as she peered through the crack in the doorframe she realised he was on the phone again. Deciding he was probably busy Evie about-turned and headed back towards the rolling door to look for her uncle. As she did she heard someone moving around to her left. Had Uncle Yan gone that way? She didn't think so. But she could go and have a look anyway couldn't she? Maybe whoever was down there would have some scissors she could use.

* * *

Owen was humming along to his i-Pod while examining a weevil's liver, or what passed for one anyway as far as he could tell. This might not sound very interesting or exciting but he was rather enjoying himself. It had been quiet over the last few days and it was nice just to be able to work to his own schedule. The volume was on the loud side and the current track was a little guitar heavy so Owen didn't hear the sound of feet on the autopsy bay stairs. When he turned to look for the notes he'd left on the side though he nearly jumped out of his skin. There was a small person looking down at him over the railing. She, (he was guessing she from the pale pink polo-shirt) had definitely not been there before. 'Jesus...' he muttered and he hurriedly removed the earphones from his ears. He took a hesitant step forward.

The little person smiled at him. "Hiya." She said. "Do you have scissors?"

"Maybe." Owen replied looking her over. She didn't appear to be much of a threat and she certainly looked human. Then there was the fact she was speaking English with a Welsh accent, a local Welsh accent so that was in her favour. Unless it was just a very good disguise. But if she was a local how had she gotten into the hub unnoticed? She looked about two, maybe three years old at the most. And they'd just upgraded all the security systems. It didn't make sense. "Who let you in here?" he asked.

"Uncle Yan." The small person answered. "He let me press the button in the lift."

"Uncle Yan?" Owen echoed, confused. Then it dawned on him that Yan might be an abbreviation. "You mean Ianto? You're related to Ianto? Tall, dark-haired, tidily dressed Ianto?"

The little girl nodded. "Uh huh. Uncle Yan." She said.

Now that Owen looked at her properly she did look a bit like Ianto, only in miniature. Poor kid he thought. But at least she wasn't an alien threat. "So Ianto brought you into work with him?" he asked and tried to think of a reason Ianto would do such a thing. He was usually so sensible. Ridiculously sensible in fact.

"Yes." The little girl replied. Then she spotted a pair of surgical scissors on a tray. "Can I have those?" she asked.

Owen looked at the scissors then back at the little girl. He could think of a number of reasons why giving her a pair of sharp scissors to play with might be a bad idea. First one being Ianto would bollock him if he found out. "What do you need them for?" he asked, trying to think of a nice way to say no.

"For cutting." She answered.

"Well that's what they're usually used for. Anything in particular you wanted to cut?"

"Leaflets."

"And what are you going to do with them once you've cut them up?"

"Stick them to stuff."

Owen pursed his lips. "Sorry love." He said, impressed by his own genius. "I don't think we've got any glue."

"Oh." She seemed quite disappointed. Then she noticed what Owen had on the table. It looked a bit like plasticine but shinier and a yucky grey colour. It probably wasn't plasticine then Evie decided, plasticine was good colours like blue or red. And anyway big people didn't play with it unless they were teachers and that man didn't look like a teacher. So if it wasn't plasticine what was it? There was only one way to find out. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at it.

"That is what passes for liver in a weevil." Owen answered without thinking. Then his brain kicked into action and he realised mentioning weevils to someone who wasn't a member of Torchwood was probably a mistake, even if she was only three years old.

"What's a liver?" Evie asked.

Owen had been expecting 'What's a weevil?' and had opened his mouth to say 'Nothing. Never mind.' It snapped shut again.

"What's a liver?" Evie asked again and she descended the last three stairs to stand in front of Owen. She looked up at him expectantly.

"The liver is the largest organ in the human body. It has a number of functions. These include detoxification, glycogen storage…"

"What's glysgin?" Evie asked.

Owen took another look at the little girl in front of him, registered what age she was again and came to the conclusion that he may have to simplify a bit. "Well…" he said as he sat down on the step beside her "... you know why you eat food don't you?"

Evie nodded. "Food is for energy and energy is for playing outside."

"That's right. Good. Now when you eat food where does it go?"

"In your mouth then in your tummy."

"Good girl." Owen said pleased with how this was going. "Do you know what happens once it's in your stomach?"

Evie shook her head. "What happens?"

"The stomach produces gastric acid that..."

"Gasric acid." Evie repeated slowly, cutting Owen short. Then her brow furrowed in confusion. "Acid is bad. It burns things." At least that's what Ben from upstairs had told her and he should know; he went to the big big school at the end of the road.

Owen smiled slightly. He was starting to like Ianto's niece, she may be small but she was smart. "Some acid burns things. It's corrosive. But gastric acid just breaks food down so you can digest it better. It doesn't hurt you. Not usually anyway."

"Oh, ok."

"After the food is broken down it starts its journey through your intestines. Do you know where your intestines are?" he asked. He was starting to get into this teaching malarkey. It beat dissecting alien organs anyway, there was less mess for a start.

* * *

Tosh had got further with the alien device on her desk in the previous ten minutes than she had done in the last two days. Two or three things had clicked into place in her head that made the whole thing seem a lot simpler. She was quite pleased with herself. She was also rather pleased with Evie. The little girl had been so quiet and well-behaved; the rubiks cube had obviously been a hit. Deciding a break was in order Tosh turned to ask Evie if she would like something to eat. The couch was empty.

Tosh gave the room a quick scan but could see nothing resembling a small child. She'd lost her. She'd lost Ianto's niece. She couldn't believe it. How could she have been so careless? How was she going to explain this to him? He was seriously going to kill her. And Jack as well, probably more than once.

Tosh took a deep breath and managed to calm herself enough to start thinking rationally. Evie had been missing for ten minutes at the most. Probably not even that. So she couldn't have gone far. Now where would she have gone? Back to Jack's office? She seemed to like him. Tosh stood up and went to look. She realised before she'd gone ten steps that this wasn't the case, Jack's door was ajar and she could see the seat opposite his desk was empty. Now where else could she have disappeared to? The toilet maybe? Had Jack or Ianto told her where they were? Tosh didn't know. But it was worth a try. If she didn't find Evie before Ianto got back she was going to be in serious trouble.

(There we go. Finally. And I have no excuse for this taking so long other than the fact that for some reason I found it a nightmare to write. I knew exactly where I was going with it but I couldn't get the words quite right. I'm still not thrilled with it. Oh and thank you again to everyone who's been reveiwing. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.)


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jack was starting to feel a little guilty about dumping Evie on Tosh. She didn't deserve it. Not that he was saying Evie was difficult, she wasn't, he just didn't think Tosh was a kid person. And to be fair, he didn't see the pair having a lot of common interests. Evie was fascinated by sharks, tigers and enjoyed colouring in; Tosh was more interested in control systems, high-level programming languages and shoes. They wouldn't have much to talk about. So intending to save them from each other he got up from his desk and went out into the hub.

The first thing he noticed as he left his office was the empty couch. Evie was not where he had left her. The second thing he noticed was the empty workstation. Tosh was not where he had left her either. In fact the place was deserted. Jack wasn't sure if he liked the thought of a deserted hub, not at half-past two in the afternoon anyway. It was slightly eerie, especially as Tosh's monitor was still switched on and there were mugs and sweet wrappers scattered about. And then there was the fact a messy hub implied an absence of Ianto, another thought he didn't like. And thinking of Ianto… well he was feeling more than a little guilty about the way he'd roped him into being here. An apology was probably in order and at least this time he knew what he was going to be apologising for.

* * *

Tosh was not having much luck in her hunt for Evie. She had so far tried the bathroom, the kitchen area and the tourist office. All had been free of small children. The next stop on her list was the cells. She really hoped Evie wasn't down there. She could see it now… Evie curiously watching a weevil, the weevil watching her, Evie inching closer to the cell, poking her hand through the one of the holes… well Tosh didn't relish the thought of explaining to Ianto why his niece was missing a finger, or worse a hand. No, she told herself, that wasn't going to happen. She'd find her before Ianto got back.

* * *

"It grows back?" Evie said incredulously. She continued to stare at Owen open-mouthed and wide-eyed.

Owen wasn't sure if the little girl was utterly fascinated by what he'd just told her or completely disgusted by it. "Yes." He said in answer. "It grows back."

"No it doesn't. Things don't grow back."

"The liver can."

"Fingers don't." Evie told him with certainty. She knew this because Harry at nursery had caught his finger in a car door once. His finger hadn't grown back, not even a little bit.

"Well no. Your fingers not your liver though is it?"

"No. It's a finger. And it doesn't grow back."

"And I repeat… it is not your liver. If someone chopped a bit of your liver off it would grow back."

"No it wouldn't." Evie insisted.

"Yes. It would." Owen stated firmly. He couldn't believe he was arguing about the liver's capacity to regenerate with a child, a child who was under five at that.

Evie shook her head vehemently. "You're making stuff up." She said accusingly.

"Why would I make it up?" He asked her.

"Dunno." Said Evie. "'Cause you like making stuff up?"

"I'm not making it up."

Evie gave him a look that said 'yeah right'.

"I'm not."

* * *

Jack found Ianto down in the vaults, standing in front of a pile of boxes, a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. He was facing the wall, his back to the door, so Jack took the opportunity to watch for a couple of seconds while he gathered his thoughts. He wasn't sure how to start this apology off. Was Ianto furious with him or just slightly pissed off? Ianto was writing things down almost lazily; there was no angry scribbling so Jack was leaning towards slightly pissed off. But he wasn't one hundred percent sure. Ianto could be very tricky to read at times. But furious or a little irked 'I'm sorry' was probably a good place to start. So that's what he said.

Ianto stopped momentarily when he heard Jack's voice, then went right back to scratching at his clipboard. "Good." he said without looking round. "And you know why you're sorry this time do you?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." said Jack, moving a few steps closer. He stopped, not knowing how to best continue.

"Go on then," Ianto prompted as the silence stretched on. He still hadn't looked round from his work.

"I'm sorry for calling you into work on your day off."

"And?"

"And for forcing you to bring Evie with you. I know this isn't the best place for a kid to to be playing around in."

"No it isn't."

"Well I am. Sorry I mean." Said Jack, sounding a little unsure now

Ianto sighed and put the clipboard down on a nearby box. He turned round to look the man behind him. "Why were you being so bloody minded Jack? You knew I had Evie to look after and you knew I'd be back tomorrow. Why couldn't you just leave it?"

"I guess I was just looking forward to spending some time with you this weekend. And when it didn't happen… well my childish side took over. And once I'd said 'bring her with you' I couldn't take it back."

"Why not?"

"Because I would have sounded like an idiot."

"Right. So ordering me to bring a three year old into the hub was in no way idiotic then?"

Jack smiled sheepishly. "Ok, it was a little stupid."

"Yeah. Just a little." Ianto agreed, smiling now himself.

"It's been fun having her around though. We've been having a great time."

"Really." said Ianto, raising an eyebrow. "If you've been having so much fun, where is she?"

"Tosh is watching her. Couldn't keep her all to myself now could I? And Tosh adores Evie, practically begged me to leave her with her."

Ianto gave him a look that said 'yeah right'.

Jack moved forward, closing the gap between them. "So am I forgiven?" he asked.

* * *

Owen had acquired a thick medical textbook from somewhere and was sitting on the floor; legs crossed the book open in front of him. Evie sat opposite. Her legs were crossed too and she was watching with quiet interest as Owen scanned the page in front of him.

"There!" he said triumphantly, jabbing the page with his index finger.

"What?" Evie asked, squinting at the blur of black and white.

Owen spun the book around to face her and jabbed the page again. "There, that line, it says: 'The liver is among the few internal human organs capable of regeneration.' Happy now?"

Evie considered this. She squinted further at the page. "Well that one," she said at last, pointing at a familiar letter, "is a eh. For Evie."

Owen was coming close to pulling his own hair out. The kid couldn't read. Of course she couldn't read. What had he been thinking? Well he hadn't been thinking, that was the point. He'd been too busy trying to prove himself right. To a three year old. "So do you believe me then?" he asked with little hope. "About the liver…"

Evie shook her head. "No. Fingers don't grow back and livers don't grow back."

"Livers do grow back!" Owen said voice laced with exasperation.

"No they don't. They can't."

"They can!"

* * *

Ianto was taking this apology rather better than the last Jack thought. The absence of yelling had helped him arrive at this conclusion. Although the hand currently resting on the back of his neck and the lips pressed against his own were a fairly good indicator as well. Ianto's other hand slipped under Jack's waistcoat and began to travel slowly up the older man's back. Jack deepened the kiss, parting Ianto's lips with his tongue as he pulled him closer. Yes, this apology was going down noticeably better than the last.

* * *

Tosh had made her way back to her workstation and was considering her next move. She had tried the cells, the hot house and even the firing range. She was at a loss for where to try next. She was going to have to call Ianto, something she should have probably done sooner. He might have a better idea as to where Evie may have run off too; she was his niece after all. Tosh groaned and put her hand up to her ear piece, this was not going to be fun at all. But before she got any further she was distracted by the sound of Owens voice coming from the autopsy bay. She stopped and listened. It sounded like he was arguing with someone. Was it Evie maybe? But no, it couldn't be. Surely Owen would have said something if he'd suddenly been confronted by a three year old. He'd have shouted, or brought her upstairs. He was probably just talking to himself.

"The livers not a finger!" came Owen's voice and Tosh frowned. That was an odd thing to say, even for Owen. Maybe she should go and find out what was going on.

(I cannot apologise enough for how long this chapter took to get up. But I hope you enjoy it. And I really do appreciate all the reviews.)


End file.
